Washingtonpost.com: Live Online

In a city loaded with diverse restaurants, from New American chic and upscale Italian to sandwich shops and burritos on the run, finding the best places to eat can be a real puzzle. Where's the best restaurant for a first date or an anniversary? Father's Day? What's the best burger joint? Who has the best service?

Ask Tom. Tom Sietsema, The Washington Post's food critic, is on hand Wednesdays at 11 a.m. ET to answer your questions, listen to your suggestions and even entertain your complaints about Washington dining. Sietsema, a veteran food writer, has sampled the wares and worked as a critic in Washington, Seattle, San Francisco and Milwaukee, and can talk restaurants with the best of 'em. Tom's Sunday magazine reviews, as well as his "Ask Tom" column, are available early on the Web.

Submit your questions before or during the discussion.

Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.

Tom Sietsema: Good morning, chatters. After last week’s passionate back-and-forth regarding chefs and their interaction with customers, I received the following missive from Gillian Clark, the chef and co-owner of Colorado Kitchen in Washington.

It’s a long but interesting read, and I thought it might be a springboard for today’s restaurant discussion at 11 a.m., or at least provide some food for thought from “the other side.”

Here, with the chef’s permission, is her thinking:

I could write a book about the ridiculous requests that have come out of our dining room (customers often can here me shout, “Don’t be ridiculous!” to a wincing server.)

And if I were to write this book, this is how it would begin:

Just imagine. You’ve spent five days on this report. It was an ambitious project requiring thought, research and extension of yourself you’ve never before undertaken. You’ve worked overtime and now it’s done. You’ve never been so proud of yourself. In fact you’re in the office at 7 am to check the spelling and grammar and to watch it print out unmolested and undisturbed. You can’t wait to show it to your boss. “He’s going to love it,” you say to yourself as you bind all 35 pages together and smooth the cover sheet. You bring it to him like a trophy. He smiles and nods. Before you even make it back to your desk you’re being paged. It’s your boss. You turn around and head back to his office. First glee, then panic—did he hate it? What’s wrong? There’s no way he could have read it already. He slides it across his desk to you with disdain (or is that indifference?). He hasn’t read it you say to yourself. Your shoulders slacken and you’re not breathing.

“Hmmm…it looks okay. But can you start over again. Only this time, misspell every third word and hand write it with your left hand…no your left foot.” He says smiling.

Has this ever happened to you? Not literally, I suppose. But it happens every day to chefs who care. There is the customer that does not appreciate the hours we put in. The process we go through in creating a menu—pairing center of the plate item with sauce, starch vegetable. Attempting to create balance on the plate with texture, salt vs. sweet, rich vs. acid. And at the same time maintaining a sufficient food cost level and working with only seasonal ingredients. It is this customer that comes into the restaurant (and often I ask out loud, “Why are they here in my restaurant?”) who wants to have the pork chop cooked extra well done with the sauce that went on the salmon and with extra green beans instead of the potatoes au gratin and please can we have a side of lemon slices, a bottle of A-1 and some hot sauce.

Chefs have to draw the line somewhere. Otherwise, you are no longer doing your food. You have become something else. The reward for being on your feet for more than 18 hours a day, is putting onto a plate your vision of a pork chop or salmon fillet and having someone enjoy it. Sure I’ve made things that didn’t work and I usually can tell right away. But the plate must leave my kitchen the way I intended it to.

There are a number of factors in bringing something from walk-in to heat lamp that I don’t think everyone understands. But these are the things that any chef who hopes to be successful must take into consideration. There are times that the changes a customer wishes to make to a plate---from a culinary standpoint--don’t work. They are borne strictly from habits or preferences that no longer apply. Squeeezing two tablespoons of lemon juice onto a piece of perfectly fresh fish curdling its accompanying cream sauce, or pouring hot sauce over delicately flavored crab stuffed shrimp are just ways of protecting our palates from seafood on the verge of spoiling. I assure you, at Colorado Kitchen, lemon juice and hot sauce are not necessary.

I’ve often refused customer requests for the sake of menu integrity and their own digestion. My pecan-crusted rockfish (rich on its own) went with a roasted garlic vin blanc—nuts and cream…kind of rich and risky for any chef. But I accompanied it with a sour and salty sauté of chard and bacon. I cannot tell you how many people would sub the greens for mashed potatoes. I stopped allowing the practice when I watched a table full of “new chefs” rub their bellies with a too full expression and push their plates away.

Then there are those who think that I am one of Rockefeller’s grandchildren and I don’t have to pay rent, staff, insurance, gas, electric, phone, taxes, food, etc. they don’t want the potatoes with the steak so “can they get an extra steak.” Sheesh, sometimes I think I’ve heard it all.

There’s also the diner that orders something because it sounds exciting. Plates of Sunnyside eggs coming back to the kitchen because the yolks aren’t done enough, has us now quizzing those who order them. We’ve had 60% of customers who ordered Sunnyside eggs change their order when it was explained to them what Sunnyside meant. This kitchen has also had request for a ”rare burger that has no pink in it at all.”

I also will not make a grilled cheese sandwich no matter how much a parent protests. I offer reduced sized portions of selected menu items. I am a mother and have never had the Beef Wellington while my daughters pushed a grilled cheese sandwich around their plate. Our children will never learn to eat like people if we constantly expose them only to what we consider, “easy pleasers.”

There is a community of customer who dines out at places with heralded chefs like Carole or Susan Lindeborg or Ann Cashion or Todd Gray…but want the food to be prepared the way they’ve always had it or eaten it. To these customers I ask, “Why aren’t you at your mothers table?”

There are such a large variety of restaurants in this town that one needn’t go hungry if my menu doesn’t satisfy. If I am constantly changing my menu to suit every taste but my own good taste and culinary sensibility, then I am certain my food would be lousy. I can only cook what is me and what is in my heart and head and palate. When Colorado Kitchen first opened we got complaints from many about not doing carry-out…its just not that kind of food, I would explain. One woman accused me of not serving the black community to the extent that a black chef should. “Black people need carry-out.” She insisted. She also criticized my food for not being “black enough.” I assured her that my food was as black as I was. There are countless black kitchens in DC and even more carryouts. And just as they don’t fill every niche, neither will Colorado Kitchen.

I’ve had customers send back the roasted beet salad of red and gold beets roasted with garlic and parsley because it didn’t taste like tin-flavored canned beets they loved growing up. Or how about the young man that substituted an extra helping of mashed potatoes for the buttery green beans I put with my roasted chicken because they tasted “too fresh”. One of my best customers “loved my cooking,” he said. At the time we featured a sirloin coated with a savory crumb cake like topping of bleu cheese. He’d order the steak extra well, scrape off the topping, pour A-1 all over the steak and everything else on the plate then after taking a bite and chewing with great gusto and pleasure gave me enthusiastic thumbs up. I said to him through my open kitchen view, “Sir, the applause is all yours. I had nothing to do with that piece of meat you’re eating.”

There could also be a more cost or preparation related problem with making a sundae without the peanuts or leaving the scallops out of something because of allergy. It could be possible that the sundaes to some extent were pre-prepped that afternoon and all of the ice cream was scooped and garnished (it saves time and is often a reality for small-staffed operations). I began pre-prepping my shrimp and scallop au gratin on busy nights. This entailed filling the au gratin dish with four shrimp and two scallops, pouring the vin blanc over it, then topping it with cheese and crumbs. Occasionally the scallop allergic would want the au gratin sans scallops. I no longer entertain the option. I have food allergies (a creamy chocolate mousse will put me out of commission, a raw apple will suffocate me) and know what happens if you even suspect that you’ve been slipped a scallop or a peanut. The manager is called and your dinner companion demands restitution as even the suspicion of the allergen has got you breathing heavy, near fainting and longing for ipecac syrup. The entire table is comped and desserts all around. Yikes….why would I subject myself to this ordeal….order the steak please.

The servers often hate to say no to the customer that insists that I broil the crab cakes or deep fry their flounder. I explain to them that they are in my restaurant. And they must have the flounder the way I make it. Personally, I prefer the way Herbert von Karajan conducts Beethoven’s Third Symphony. But I would never ask Zubin Mehta to finish the Adagio with the hesitant 3/8 that Herb finishes with. Nor would I stop a production of Hamlet and ask them to insert a couple of lines from Macbeth because I think they go well in there.

Dining out requires a certain element of trust. Many of us give this eating trust quite willingly at ethnic places but when the chef’s American, we want to be in control. I submit you’ll enjoy the food better if you order off the menu and have your meal the way the chef designed it. If you’ve read the reviews and they are good and your friends have tried it and said, “Go, it is sooo good.” Chances are the kitchen knows what its doing. I have cooked for Tom Sietsema, Thomas Head, and other critics (I’ve even made risotto for Roberto Donna) not one of them asked the server to have me change anything. Most of us running restaurants that are in the Top 100 or that are recommended by Tom have a great deal of experience and education. We are professionals and we bring all of that knowledge, experience and caring with us when we start our long and grueling days and nights. We want the food to be right. Your change of a sauce or omission of an ingredient you just don’t care for just might ruin it.

I love the customer that comes in and reads my menu. There is nothing too exotic and it changes often enough to be interesting. Pick something because it sounds good or the server or review suggested it. Have it just as the menu listed it. You won’t be disappointed. If I don’t cook my salmon enough for you (I tend to leave it just a little underdone inside), send it back to the kitchen. For those itching to change the menu or have complete control of their dining experience. Let go. Let us feed you. If its not your cup of tea…maybe there’s another restaurant in town that serves food the way you like it. I’m almost certain of it.

Regards,

Gillian Clark

Bethesda, Md.: Are there any restaurants in the area that serve a cheese course?

Tom Sietsema: Café 15, Perry’s, Galileo, the recently reviewed Rail Stop -- a lot of places offer cheese plates on their bills of fare.

Fairfax, Va.: Hey Tom - I was enjoying my birthday dinner the other night and talking with my partner about all the restaurants we enjoy and what we want to try out and it occured to me that there must be occasions when your ears burn. Are you ever out and about at a restaurant and over hear people talking about you and your reviews or chats? Keep it up, btw - you give us plenty to talk about!

Tom Sietsema: Funny you should ask. My brother and I were out one night not long ago and the people at the table next to us were guessing how to pronounce my last name.

My brother looked at me and asked, "Should I tell them?"

Washington, D.C., 20008: Tom, hope you share my love for ice cream! What is your favorite ice cream place in the area ? I should say that I find Sutton Place ice cream by the cup probably the best from what I know, but I am curious in your opinion. The fatter - the better !

Tom Sietsema: I have had put in some serious licks at Max's in Glover Park and the tropical storefront, York Castle, in Silver Spring. They are two of many purveyors (and I can't say I've been to a lot of them), but I always enjoy those two.

Washington DC: In Sunday's "Ask Tom" column, someone asked about the recently closed Le Rivage. While it was never one of my favorites, it was the only decent place to eat before a performance at Arena Stage. Can you recommend any other restaurant on the Southwest waterfront where we go without having to repark the car to go to the theater?

Tom Sietsema: Alas, not yet.

I'm heading to a performance there myself tonight and plan to dine in Penn Quarter beforehand.

Alexandria, Va.: Hi Tom! My husband and I have been longing for a good Cuban sandwich, and other good Cuban food. We have eaten at the CoolCorner Grocery and CocoLoco in Atlanta, and haven't found anywhere to eat good Cuban here. Is there any the No VA area?

Tom Sietsema: Not in Virginia, but in Maryland: Cuban Corner.

Arlington, Va.: This is more a comment than anything. My husband and I had the pleasure of dining at the Inn at Little Washington this past Saturday and it was even better than we had ever wished it to be. Unfortunately, I got sick in the middle of the meal-- I guess I'm allergic to sea bass, go figure -- but the staff there did absolutely EVERYTHING humanly possible to help me in my hour of need, including driving me the two blocks back to our B&B. We were so impressed, Tom. THIS is what fine dining should be. (Oh, and I might add, they comped my whole meal. Can you believe it?! We'll DEFINITELY go back!!)

Tom Sietsema: It doesn't surprise me at all that the Inn would go to such lengths. I hope you get to try it again, hold the fish!

Washington, DC: Have you been to Grammercy Tavern in NYC? We got reservations over Memorial Day weekend and wonder if its as good as people say.

Tom Sietsema: It is indeed. In fact, I always try to find an excuse to dine there when I'm in the Big Apple, despite the torrent of new restaurants I inevitably want to scout out. For the best experience at GT, sit in the BAR as opposed to the main dining room in the rear. Trust me on that.

Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.: I know just how you feel, Gillian. Last night, after I cooked a wonderful pasta dish straight out of "Gourmet" magazine, my husband poured his leftover salad dressing over it...said he didn't want to waste the dressing. Oy vay.

Tom Sietsema: Ouch.

Washington, D.C.: Where would you recommend I take an impossibly picky sister that loves Indian food? I share your opinion that Indique is overrated, but beyond the overpriced Bombay Club, where can one find some authentic and reasonably priced Indian fare in a comfortable and hopefully elegant setting?

Tom Sietsema: I don't think Bombay Club is overpriced, given the romantic setting, the quality ingredients and the pampering service. However, I also enjoy Heritage India on Wisconsin Ave.

Washington, D.C.: Tom, good morning. If you had a choice of Palena, 2941, or Melrose for dinner. Which one? For my birthday this year. Or maybe another suggestion?? Thanks so much.

Tom Sietsema: I'm most fond of 2941 this moment, but some food pals of mine just called in with rave reviews for Palena -- this despite some MAJOR service issues they encountered. (A manager ended up having to wait on them after one of the diners and her waiter had words.)

Cubicle Hell - DC: I enjoyed reading Gillian Clark's response to diners who radically change menu items. I agree that trying something prepared a little bit differently from what one is used to can be a wonderful experience. Isn't that the whole point of dining out?

Tom Sietsema: For a lot of us it is.

Washington, D.C.: Hi, your website search engine is down otherwise I'd be combing through those. I am trying to remember the name of the new restaurant outside dupont circle with the front that looks like a house. It has trees and lights on either side of the door as if you were going to somebody's house. Is that Firefly? If so, I thought Firefly was in side a hotel...Do they have a separate entrance?

washingtonpost.com: Yes, folks, the search engine seems to be having some troubles at the moment.

Tom Sietsema: Firefly adjoins the hotel on New Hampshire Ave. and has its own entrance.

Nail Polish: Hi Tom, How appalling is this? I was out to dinner at Zaytinya the other night, and the woman at the table next to me started polishing her nails. The smell didn't much add to the meal, as I'm sure you can imagine. What are people thinking?

Tom Sietsema: Good manners are about as hard to find these days as Saddam Hussein.

Last week, I looked up from my menu at Majestic Cafe, which reminds diners to keep their cell phones off, to see a fellow diner nattering away about nothing imprtant on her device.

No one ever thinks the rules apply to them, do they?

Georgetown, Washington, D.C.: Hi, I was wondering if you know of any good Afghan restaurants which are in the city, or at least easy to get to via the metro. Also, are there any good places near the Mall which have outdoor dining and a decent selection of vegetarian options? Thanks.

Tom Sietsema: The one I’m familiar with is Afghan Grill, a small, second-floor outpost off the corner of Connecticut on Calvert near the Woodley Park Metro station. The kitchen makes nice leek- and potato-stuffed turnovers and sauteed pumpkin (hold the meat sauce), among other vegetarian options.

As for al fresco dining near the Mall, you might consider Signatures or 701, although both are in the “upscale” realm of possibilities. After a recent lunch at Jordan’s in the Ronald Reagan building, I’m not inclined to recommend the place, though it does have outdoor seating.

Washington, D.C.: What exactly is a 'wine bar'. There's supposed to be one opening up at 4th and Mass Ave NE,on Capitol Hill. I'm not quite sure how a 'wine bar' is different from other types of bars.

Tom Sietsema: A wine bar typically offers a healthy variety of wines by the glass and (sometimes) a "flight" of three tastes. Often there is also a menu of appetizers or other small plates for nibbling with those sips.

Silver Spring, MD: What was the name of the menuless restaurant? The one where the Chef talks to you about what you like and returns with a customizes, one of a kind, meal? And, is it worth checking out?

Tom Sietsema: The restaurant in question is Elysium in Alexandria. It recently took on a new chef, who will continue cooking to the tune of the season and the desires of his guests. A fun concept.

Arlington, VA: Do you have an opinion on Cosi? I really enjoy their sandwiches.

Tom Sietsema: I like them about once a year.

Georgetown, Washington, D.C.: Good morning. Mr. Sietsema, have you tried the new-ish Asian fusion restaurant on M Street, Mie Yun? I've walked in a number of times, but never had the courage to sit down because the menu seemed so limited. The decor, I must admit, is amazing, but is the food worth the price?

Tom Sietsema: As I told one person recently: unless the food there changes course soon, Mie N Yu is the Titanic waiting to hit the iceberg.

Canton, OH: Tom, Love the chats and reviews - Quick ingredient question for you. All my favorite hole-in-the-wall Mexican joints seem to use the same cheese. It's creamy and white and highly addictive, but we can't seem to get an answer as to what KIND of cheese it is. What is this stuff? My husband thinks it's government cheese, sold in 50 pound blocks for $.05 a pound, but I'm hoping for something a bit less horrifying. Thanks!

Tom Sietsema: Worry not. I bet it is queso fresco: soft, crumbly, a bit salty in flavor. The cheese is typically sprinkled over enchiladas and the like.

Northfield, MN: Tom, I don't know if my email got sent, so I'm repeating my question - looking for a restaurant in the DC area for a Bridal Shower Luncheon for my daughter, late July or early Aug. on Sunday. I've checked out, as much as I can from here,the following: La Bergerie, Corduroy, Bistro Bis, Bistro D'OC, Old Angler's Inn, Old Ebbitt Grill, Clyde's at Mark Center, Zatinya, Topaz and Fairmont (Monarch) Hotel. What's your take on these, and would you have any other recommendations? Trying to keep basic cost for lunch around $25.
Note: I really wonder if businesses are using or testing their websites. For example, Bistro Bis/Vidalia is very hard to read on my computer with the white background and light print!

Tom Sietsema: You have quite an eclectic list there. I’d be inclined to dine at Zaytinya, where you should ask to be tucked into the space near the ground-floor fire place or upstairs, both of which are less bustling than the main dining room.

About restaurant web sites: their owners really need to put someone in charge of keeping them up-to-date and following up. I, too, am frustrated by menu items and prices and other information that are not kept current.

Washington, DC: Hi Tom - love you reviews. Since my husband and I moved to DC three years ago, you have been our trusted restaurant guide. My question: what is the restaurant like at the top of Hotel Washington? I hear the views are great - what about the food? I've been told that the desserts are good. Does that mean that a full meal is not advisable? Is this the kind of place that requires reservations? I'm considering it for a future visit for my parents. All the best & thank you.

Tom Sietsema: It’s been years since I dined at the restaurant up there; I do remember strong drinks and sandwiches that were a bit better than they needed to be, given that glorious vista. Have any chatters dropped by lately?

Washington, DC: Tom, my boss and I have an informal, annual, "how're things?!" - aka salary review. Most unfortunately, in my opinion, he likes to do these over lunch. My choice. We're in the West End/Dupont area. Any suggestions for a quiet, nice place where we can talk without nudging elbows or shouting?
Thanks!

Tom Sietsema: Marcel’s offers a nice bistro-y lunch on its patio on Pennsylvania Ave. --- who knows, you might get a tan AND a raise! Also in the West End is the fledgling Circle Bistro.

Sorry about those technical glitches, gang. I think we're up and running again.

Oakton, Va.: I am submitting early since I never seem to be able to catch the chat live. My husband and I just got back from vacation where we got to try Moroccan and Norwegian food (separately, of course). We loved both. Where can we get the same here in the DC area, preferably Northern VA? Thanks!

Tom Sietsema: Sorry, I know of no Norwegian restaurant in the area; for Moroccan cooking, Taste of Morocco in Arlington is kind of fun.

Washington, DC: Tom,
I need your help! I am looking for somewhere different to go for my boyfriend's birthday. We "get around" as far as restaurants are concerned and we've been to many of your usual recommendations. I'm looking for somewhere different, moderately priced (around $15 per entree) and also romantic. I was thinking either Kuna or maybe the new Agua Ardiente (sp?). Anywhere in the district or Arlington/Alexandria are is fine. Thanks in advance for your help. I always love your recommendations!

Tom Sietsema: I’d choose Kuna over Aqua Ardiente in a heart beat. In Virginia, I really like the pretty Minh’s for Vietnamese in Arlington and Majestic Café for new American fare in Old Town.

Alexandria, Va.: My fiancee and I will be honeymooning in Italy at the beginning of July. We will visit Rome, Florence, and Chianti (in Tuscany). Can you recommend any good restaurants in any of those places? We look forward to eating, eating, eating. We hope to find reasonably priced restaurants but are also willing to splurge here and there -- $100 for dinner for two (before wine) would be splurging to us. Also, how do you go about determining what restaurants to visit when you travel? In the past, we've gotten burned with travel book recommendations that turned out to be execrable. We'd like a more authoritative resource when it comes to FOOD.

Tom Sietsema: If you can wait til May 28, I can be of more help, since I’m going to Rome the week before that Wednesday’s chat.

In Florence, you should seek out Cibreo at Via de Verocchio; Da Ruggero at Via Senese 89; and Carabe, on Via Riscasoli 60, this last for for sublime gelato.

Generally what I do before a trip is get my hands on ideas from food pros, archived reviews, magazine stories, and see which places pop up (not that I trust them all, mind you, but they provide the start to my research). I also interview all my trusted sources who have been to a given place recently, and occasionally contact an embassy official for his or her suggestions. The leads invariably pay off, but I'm always open to try places I discover on my own, using my instincts.

I agree: there is a lot of misleading restaurant information floating around. During a tour of Amsterdam recently, the worst meal of my trip was at a Michelin-starred restaurant that every guide, foreign and local, raved about. The food was middling, the service laughable, the setting underwhelming.

P.S. Last year, I did a column on finding good food on the road. Maybe my producer can dig it up

Bethesda, Md.: Wow, mention Jordans unfavorably and get kicked off of the internet...That's Power!

Tom Sietsema: LOL

(Laugh out loud.)

Seasonal Inquiry: A chatter recently mentioned that 'now is not the best time to be eating crabs'. That day I found an article declaring the opening of crab season, so wouldn't this be the best time for the shellfish? In your opinion, who has the best crabs for
A. A reasonably priced lunch in the DC area, and
B. A place to bring my girlfriend for a requested 'Grad-School Graduation Crab Feast Spectacular' within an hour's drive from Georgetown? Thanks for helping a baffled Midwesterner charter the mysteries of the Chesapeake!

Tom Sietsema: Are we talking soft- or hard-shells? Close to home, try Johnny’s Half Shell, the bar at Kinkead’s or Oceanaire Seafood Room for reliable seafood. I had some amazing soft shells at O’Leary’s in Annapolis last week; for crackin’ purposes, Jimmy Cantler’s Riverside Inn, also in Annapolis, remains a spring and summertime favorite.

Bethesda, Md.: In a couple of weeks, we'll be entertaining a business associate and his wife from New York who have been extraordinary hosts to us at some terrific restaurants there. We want to return the favor, preferably with one of Washington's more unique and memorable dining locations that will have them talking when they go home. The catch is that he is a very demanding customer, prone to "interrogate" the waiter on the menu and tough on the staff if the least thing goes wrong, so we want a place where the service will be nearly perfect and, above all, the staff will be quick to defuse a difficult diner. Midweek, downtown or close-in Maryland, cost less important than overall ambience and mood.

Tom Sietsema: Don’t you just love dining with “interrogators?” Poor you. Poor wife. I bet you might impress your guests with dinner at the lovely Obelisk or 1789 in Georgetown – as long as you’re seated downstairs and not in Siberia.

Rosslyn, Va: After reading Gillian Clark's diatribe, I can comfortably say that she is behaving like a spoiled four year old child. How dare she have the audacity to suggest that she knows my likes and dislikes better than myself. Clearly, she does not respect her customers since their tastes must be wrong. Isn't the restaurant experience supposed to involve providing a customer with a meal they enjoy? To suggest that I can only enjoy a meal your way is absurd. I wish Gillian Clark the best of luck with her restaurant--I can assure you I will never dine there.

Tom Sietsema: We are getting lots of response to the introduction today:

Washington, D.C.: To Gillian Clark: Your comments are well noted. I can understand not wanting the integrity of a complex dish spoiled. And requesting "another steak" in place of potatoes is just ridiculous (though what about us vegetarians, who frequently request extra vegetables in place of (more expensive) meat?) But how hard is it to make one sundae without peanuts? SOME compromise with the palates, allergies and dietary restrictions of your CUSTOMERS is occasionally necessary. If you uphold your "artistic integrity" and the result is that your customer doesn't like what they're eating, who is the meal for? Who benefits? Get over yourself. Even Shakespeare wrote to his audience (_Henry VI_ and _Richard III_ were written with far less concern for artistic and historical integrity than they were for Tudor political propaganda...). And if I write a paper at work that doesn't quite serve the needs of its audience, my boss WILL ask me to rewrite it and I will.

Re: Gillian Clark: Geez, I had not idea chefs were so whiney. She took all that time just to say that she doesn't like substitutes? She even had the audacity to compare herself to Shakespeare and Beethoven. I might have been inclined to agree with her, but that whole tirade came across so pretentiously.

Dupont Circle, Washington, D.C.: Regarding the open letter at the beginning of the chat...Thanks for posting this, but I am a bit taken aback by the seemingly overwhelming disklike that this chef has for her customers in general. I Understand much of what she is saying regarding the creative process of preparing her menu, but the manner in which she is conveying this message is a real problem. Even if I completely agreed with everything she said, her attitude is a real turn-off.

Washington, DC: While I respect what Ms. Clark has to say, I submit that there is a peculiar affliction among chefs to think outside the box for diners who ask for special accommodations that are not about redesigning menus. I rarely eat out anymore because I'm tired of unimaginative chefs - yes, even in good restaurants - deciding that a meal for someone with a vegan diet is little more than steamed vegetables and a large quantity of starch (their concoctions, not anything I've ever suggested to them to make). If I can do research on the Internet and inform myself about how to make easy to prepare, non-special ingredient, complete vegan meals, then chefs can do the same. Many of them are of the opinion expressed in "Kitchen Confidential": vegetarians and vegans are diners who increase the profit margins of restaurants by allowing them to simply subtract ingredients from a dish on the menu. Chefs can do better than this, and it's too bad they don't.

Washington, DC: The letter from the chef at Colorado Kitchen was, um, interesting. I had looked forward to trying the hamburgers there, but after reading her whiny little missive, I'll pass, thanks. If my boss asked me to make those bizzare changes, I would do it. Why? He's the one who pays me. I might prefer my way to his, but in the end, his opinion is the one that matters, and if he wants to dismiss my expertise, that's his perogative. That goes doubly so with food. Let's face it, taste is a highly subjective matter. What a chef likes isn't necessarily what I like, and if I'm paying for it, I want it the way I want it. I'm willing to pay additional if it's a cost factor -- I understand that they have to make money. But to not make a change because, in the chef's opinion, it would ruin the dish is the height of arrogance. I don't care if his or her fragile little ?

Louisville, Ky.: I really liked the thought that Gillian put into her reply. I just wish restaurants would sometimes just tell me why they won't make a substitution. Tell me the item is prepped already with nuts and they can't be removed, or something along those lines. She's right that customers who come to a restaurant and want to change everything in a dish might be better off elsewhere. I'm pregnant right now, and certain things just turn my stomach. So I fix my own food at home or go to somewhere that specializes in home-cooking, comfort food. Taking me out to eat right now anywhere fancy is like trying to put a dress on a pig: it's frustrating for everyone involved. I respect her opinion and will keep it in mind as I dine out --- pregnancy or no. Thanks for taking the time to educate us. I may not agree with every point but respect her as a professional.

Tom Sietsema: Here's more ....

Bethesda, Md.: Good words Gillian! I have tried for years to have dining partners put themselves in the hands of a good chef. Sometimes I simply look across the table after a request is made and say, "Next time we'll go to my place and I'll cook and you can look over my shoulder." As an amateur, I don't mind so much (although it is nice to create a unique recipe and have a guest experience the meal as intended). Anyway, after a weekend back in the old NY stomping grounds, quick question: Best lox and bagels in DC?

Alexandria, Va.: To Gillian - BRAVO BRAVO. I am myself a picky eater - but if I didn't want to go out and try something new, I would eat at home. I can only imagine how cooks react when my cousin shows up at a resturant and literraly picks apart the menu and ends up with something bland and not all an orignal offering. Although I will admit that I have been known to ask for regular mashed potatos in place of mashed sweet potatos - they have never set with my stomach for some reason.

Brava, Ms. Clark!: Wow! How very eloquent and persuasive. Although I have never asked for a substitution while dining out, I now know I never, ever would! Know that there are many diners who support your need to maintain your integrity.

Springfield VA: The chef's feelings about her work, while good in theory, ignores the reality of her business, customer service. If the consumer is not pleased, the chef is out of a job. Of course, if she can afford to come off this way to her customers and still make a living more power to her.

Arlington, Va.: So, according to Gillian, a tasty, well-balanced, attractive plate of food is a work of art. And one should never request the artist to make any changes to the masterpiece. I think Gillian has to accept that she is just a chef, not an artist, and that satisfying the customer is part of her role. Once she sheds the need to occupy an elevated status, superior to that of her customers, she'll be more attentive to her customers' reasonable requests.

Washington, DC: Brava, Gillian Clark!
Tom, thanks for posting that. She makes some excellent points. And people who think the chef is working for them might still think they have the right to request substitutions, but she says it clearly: The restaurant is YOUR choice. If you don't like the food the way they m
Reston, Va.: How’s this as counter-question to Ms. Clark: what should I do if I order an entree based on a description that doesn’t mention a certain ingredient I don’t like, say gorgonzola cheese, but sure as day the cheese is there when the dish comes? Conversely, what if the menu doesn’t deliver what it promises? This weekend I ordered a dish based on a menu description that clearly stated there was crabmeat in the preparation. When I got it, I’ll be damned if there was even a sliver of crabmeat: I suppose it might have “melted” into the cream sauce, but it didn’t taste like it (and I’ve got a pretty good tongue for these sorts of things). I told the server, more in sorrow than anger, and she offered to bring the plate back to the kitchen. But instead of getting a little extra of the sauce with at least some crabmeat, the irate cook just dumped a ton of canned crabmeat on the dish, as if I was a philistine to even ask that the dish live up to the menu descri

Great Ice Cream: Swing's on G St. NW has fabulous ice cream!

Tom Sietsema: Good to know. Thanks for the tip.

And that wraps up today's show. (Whew! Pass the ice cream, please.)

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